The war between the players and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has returned to haunt the health of cricket in the Caribbean.
The war between the players and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has returned to haunt the health of cricket in the Caribbean.
The dispute escalated when contract rebel Chris Gayle was stripped of the Test captaincy and fellow rebel Dwayne Bravo removed as vice-captain, although the duo kept their places in the team for the tour of Sri Lanka.
Gayle and Bravo, along with T20 specialist Kieron Pollard, rejected contracts that required them to be available for international duty at all times.
The contract also required players who wished to represent the West Indies in any of the game's three formats ufffd to play in that format in the corresponding local competition.
Sacrifice
WICB has hailed it as the dawn of a new era in West Indies cricket. This has been seen as a way for the board to ask players to sacrifice senior positions in the team if they wish to choose the life of a freelance cricketer.
Gayle, Bravo and Pollard have cited playing T20 leagues in Australia and India as the reason to reject the contracts.
All three featured in Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash tournament last season. Cricket Australia (CA) has said it would only allow the trio to play in this summer's Big Bash if they arrived in Australia with the blessing of the WICB. Niranjan Shah, vice-chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) too echoed the statements of his Aussie counterparts.
"It doesn't matter how big or small the player is, he needs to resolve all disputes with his respective board and get an NOC in order to play in the IPL," Shah told MiD DAY recently.
"We, at the BCCI, do not want to oppose any other board at any time. We believe that prospering at the international cricket must always be the primary objective for any cricketer and also a way to enter the IPL"
What next for Gayle and Co?
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